Dielectric resonator antenna array system

ABSTRACT

A dielectric resonator antenna array system includes a first array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged in a first orientation and that forms a first beam, and a second array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged in a second orientation, that is different from the first orientation, and that forms a second beam. Further, a dielectric resonator antenna array system includes a first array of a first type of plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged in a predetermined orientation and that forms a first beam, and a second array of a second type of plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged in the predetermined orientation and that forms a second beam.

BACKGROUND

Millimeter wave technology is to be widely used in future high data ratewireless terminals and devices to achieve the anticipated increase of,for example, 1000× in data throughput in the near future. The frequencyspectrum at millimeter waves (i.e. 30 GHz to 90 GHz) has severallocations where several Giga Hertz of bandwidth are available for use ofwireless commercial communications. Millimeter wave antennas arerequired for such technology.

The dielectric resonator antennas (DRA) have very attractive featuressuch as the ability to operate at wide range of frequencies. They havehigh radiation efficiency for low loss dielectrics because the size ofthe dielectric fills the radian sphere and there are no conductionlosses. Thus, DRAs support very small sizes at microwaves and millimeterwaves as their size is proportional to the operating wavelength dividedby the root of the dielectric material constant. This makes DRAs easy tointegrate with other electronic components on a common substrate.

The need for broadband multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antennasystems for 4G and 5G wireless standards is on the rise. More structuresthat support current and future standards are needed to provide therequired high data throughput and multi-standard coverage. Short rangecommunication standards are considering millimeter-wave bands forultra-high throughput over short distances to allow seamless transfer ofmultimedia and video streams. Such bands include, but are not limitedto, 30 GHz and 48 GHz. The integration of MIMO technology along withmillimeter-wave bands will provide a noticeable boost to short rangewireless data transfers. The 30 GHz millimeter-wave range is anticipatedto have at least two 500 MHz channels or a shared 1 GHz channel. Thus,very large bandwidth can be made available and higher channel capacityvalues can be anticipated. The use of MIMO will give the data link ahuge boost on top of the increased bandwidth.

The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description which may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentinvention.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is related to the field of DRA basedmillimeter-wave wireless communication systems, as well asmultiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems, for mobilewireless terminals and access points. For example, devices such asphones, laptops, tablets etc. can be configured to include the DRA basedantenna system that is described in further detail below.

The present disclosure describes DRA based antenna arrays (linear andplanar) for millimeter-wave frequencies for consumer electronic devicesand short range communications that operate at a center frequency of 30GHz and above and that provide an operating bandwidth of 1 GHz. Theantenna array includes DRA elements (i.e. cylindrical, rectangular, orany other shape that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in theart). The feed network for these arrays are also illustrated as part ofan integrated design of the DRA based antenna system that is capable oftilting a beam via feed network phase excitation. Multiple arrays can beintegrated on the sides of mobile device backplanes to provide MIMOcapability using various configurations provided for higher throughputshort range millimeter-wave communications. The small size of thedescribed DRA based MIMO antenna system advantageously makes them aviable feature for 5G mobile terminals that can provide more than 1 GHzof dedicated bandwidth.

In an exemplary aspect, a dielectric antenna array system includes afirst array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged ina first orientation and configured to form a first beam, and a secondarray of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged in asecond orientation, different from the first orientation, and configuredto form a second beam.

In an exemplary aspect, a dielectric resonator antenna array systemincludes a first array of a first type of plurality of dielectricresonator antennas arranged in a predetermined orientation andconfigured to form a first beam, and a second array of a second type ofplurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged in the predeterminedorientation and configured to form a second beam.

In an exemplary aspect, a dielectric resonator antenna array systemincludes a first array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennasarranged in a first orientation and configured to form a first beam, asecond array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arranged ina second orientation, different from the first orientation, andconfigured to form a second beam, a first feed network configured toprovide a first signal to the first array of the plurality of dielectricresonator antennas to form the first beam, and a second feed networkconfigured to provide a second signal to the second array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas to form the second beam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate DRA elements being formed on a ground planeor a dielectric substrate in accordance with exemplary aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a planar DRA based array that includes a plurality ofDRA elements in accordance with exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a planar antenna array highlighting the dimensions ofthe DRA elements and the spacing between the DRA elements in accordancewith exemplary aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a fixed beam MIMO antenna system configuration inaccordance with exemplary aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a combination of planar based and linear basedmillimeter-wave DRA MIMO antenna system in accordance with exemplaryaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates s-parameters from a DRA based millimeter-wave basedlinear array in accordance with exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate radiation gain patterns of a linear array of DRAelements in accordance with exemplary aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates control circuitry that controls a direction and shapeof a beam formed by a plurality of DRA elements of the plurality ofarrays in accordance with exemplary aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method to alter the phase of a pluralityof DRA elements in accordance with exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system in accordancewith exemplary aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of generalintroduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims. The described implementations, together with further advantages,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Dielectric resonator antennas (DRA) can take several shapes, but themost common ones are hemispherical, cylindrical, circularcross-sections, and rectangular. The height, length and width (orradius) of the DRAs along with its material properties (i.e. thedielectric constant) determines its resonant frequency, efficiency,bandwidth, and gain along with its radiation pattern. Most of the DRAsare fabricated over a ground metallic sheet, and thus they havedirectional radiation patterns (such as patches).

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary cylindrical DRA 14 that is placed on ametallic ground plane 15, which is formed on top a dielectric substrate12. The dielectric substrate 12 can be formed of a material differentfrom the DRA 14 or similar to it. The cylindrical DRA 14 is fed/excitedvia a microstrip line 13 that couples the energy to the cylindrical DRA14 via a slot 11 in the ground plane 15. This single DRA element 14 canbe then replicated to form linear or planar DRA based arrays. Themicrostrip line 13 is formed on the dielectric substrate 12 (or inbetween the dielectric substrate 13 and the ground plane 15), andaccordingly the microstrip line 13 is illustrated as a broken line inFIG. 1A. Although FIG. 1A illustrates a cylindrical DRA 14, one ofordinary skill in the art would recognize that any other type of DRA(i.e., for example, hemispherical, circular cross-sections, orrectangular DRA) may be formed on the ground plane 15.

FIG. 1B illustrates another exemplary DRA, which is a rectangular shapedDRA 18, and which is placed on a dielectric substrate 17. Although FIG.1B illustrates a rectangular DRA 18, one of ordinary skill wouldrecognize that any other type of DRA (i.e., for example, hemispherical,circular cross-sections, or cylindrical DRA) may be formed on thedielectric substrate 17. A metallic sheet 16 (i.e., ground plane) isformed at an opposite end (bottom) of the dielectric substrate 17. Therectangular DRA 18 is fed by a microstrip transmission line 20 via animpedance transformer for impedance matching 19 between an impedance ofthe transmission line 20 and an impedance of the rectangular DRA 18. Thethree dimensions of the rectangular DRA 18 (its width, length, andheight) determine its resonance frequency and operating bandwidth (itsquality factor). The smaller the DRA, the higher the frequencies it cantransmit and/or receive. Similarly, the dimensions of cylindrical DRA,circular cross-section DRA, or a hemispherical DRA will determine itsresonance frequency and operating bandwidth. For example, differentvalues of the radius and height of a cylindrical DRA provide differentresonance frequencies and operating bandwidths of the cylindrical DRA.Further, adjusting a radius of a hemispherical DRA results in differentresonance frequencies and operating bandwidths of the hemispherical DRA.Although only a few shapes have been described above, other shapes canbe used for a DRA without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary 2×4 planar DRA based array 25 thatincludes a plurality of cylindrical DRAs 21 fed, or excited, by acorporate feed type of microstrip network 22 that sums the signals (orsplits them) from the various cylindrical DRAs 21 and passes them to asingle input/output port 23. For instance, if an external signal isreceived from an external source (not shown), the external signal can besent to the cylindrical DRAs 21 via the microstrip network 22.

The planar array illustrated in FIG. 2 will have higher gain than anon-planar array and more directivity with narrow half power beam widththat is required for short range millimeter-wave communication links.This type of planar array can generate one fixed beam (not shown). Thesize and shape of the fixed beam can be altered based on the dimensionsof the cylindrical DRAs 21. Additionally, the size and shape of thefixed beam can be altered based on spacing between the differentcylindrical DRAs 21.

Further, altering the progressive phases between branches 24 can movethe beam towards various directions. The microstrip network 22 mayincorporate a phase control device (not shown) that can alter theprogressive phases between the cylindrical DRAs 21 and the input/outputport 23 so that the beam can be moved in various directions in space. Inother words, by feeding the cylindrical DRAs 21 with different phases,or with different time delays, the beam can be moved in variousdirections in space. Alternatively, the phases between the branches 24may be fixed so that a fixed beam is always formed in a particulardirection in space. Although cylindrical DRAs 21 are illustrated in FIG.2, one or ordinary skill would recognize that any other type of DRA(i.e., for example, hemispherical, circular cross-sections, orrectangular DRA) can be implemented to form a fixed beam.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary 4×3 cylindrical planar antenna array(rectangular hemispherical, or circular cross-section DRAs can also beformed in the same way) highlighting the height 32 of the single DRA 30,diameter 31 of the single DRA 30, and the inter-element spacing in thex-direction 35 and the y-direction 34 between the various DRAs 30. Asnoted above, the dimensions of a cylindrical DRA, a circularcross-section DRA, a rectangular DRA, or a hemispherical DRA willdetermine its resonance frequency and operating bandwidth. For example,different values of the length, height, and width of a rectangular DRAand different values of the radius and height of a cylindrical DRAprovide different resonance frequencies and operating bandwidths.Further, adjusting a radius of a hemispherical DRA results in differentresonance frequencies and operating bandwidths. Although only a fewshapes have been described above, other shapes can be used for a DRAwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The size ofthe DRA is inversely proportional to the square root of the dielectricconstant. Therefore, the higher the dielectric constant of the material,the smaller the DRA. Similarly, the size of the DRA is inverselyproportional to the square root of the resonance frequency.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary fixed beam MIMO antenna systemconfiguration, where similar DRA based arrays (for example,cylindrical-cylindrical or rectangular-rectangular) or opposite DRAbased arrays (for example, cylindrical-rectangular) can be used to formtwo fixed beams 419 and 420 that are tilted from one another to providea low correlation coefficient.

For example, a first millimeter-wave based fixed beam linear array 430includes rectangular DRA elements 416 placed in a horizontal or verticalfashion, a feed network with fixed progressive phases 417 and 422, acombiner (or splitter) structure 421, and a dedicated input/output port418. A second millimeter-wave based fixed beam linear array 440 includescylindrical DRA elements 415, another fixed phase microstrip feednetwork with pre-calculated phases 413 and 414 and a combiner (orsplitter) structure 412, and a dedicated input/output port 411. Althoughthe fixed beam linear array 430 is illustrated to include rectangularDRA elements, it should be understood that the DRA elements 416 mayinclude any combination of different types of DRA elements (i.e.,cylindrical, rectangular, circular cross-section, or hemispherical).Similarly, DRA elements 415 may include any combination of differenttypes of DRA elements (i.e., cylindrical, rectangular, circularcross-section, or hemispherical).

Further, although FIG. 4 illustrates fixed progressive phases 417 and422, one of ordinary skill would recognize that the progressive phasescan be varied in order to vary the direction of a beam. FIG. 4 alsoillustrates progressive phase 422 corresponding to two out of the fourDRA elements 416 and progressive phase 417 corresponding to the othertwo out of the four DRA elements 416. However, the progressive phasescan be altered such that different DRA elements 416 have differentphases or same phases. Similarly, pre-calculated phases 413 and 414 canalso be varied in order to vary the direction of a beam. Also, thedistances between the DRA elements 416 (and between DRA elements 415)can be altered to vary the direction of the fixed beam. The progressivephases can be altered using external phase shifters (not illustrated).

Although FIG. 4 illustrates only two linear based millimeter-wave basedarrays, one or ordinary skill would recognize that multiple differentlinear based millimeter-wave based arrays can be designed with theirpatterns focusing on various points in space to minimize fieldcorrelations. This will enhance device (which includes the DRA basedantenna system described herein) capabilities to have better signaltransmission/reception and provide higher system capacity.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary combination of planar based arrays 512and 513 as well as linear based arrays 521 and 522 in themillimeter-wave DRA MIMO antenna system 500. The planar basedmillimeter-wave DRA fixed beam array 512 includes a planar DRA antennamatrix with DRA elements 524, a microstrip feed network 526 with fixedphases along with its combining (or splitting) network, and a dedicatedinput/output port 511. The planar based millimeter-wave DRA fixed beamarray 513 includes a planar DRA antenna matrix with DRA elements 523, amicrostrip feed network 514 with fixed phases along with its combining(or splitting) network, and a dedicated input/output port 525. Thesearray configurations along with their fixed beams can be replicated on adevice to provide multiple focused beams in different directions inspace. The DRA elements 523 and 524 in the planar based millimeter-waveDRA fixed beam array 513 and planar based millimeter-wave DRA fixed beamarray 512, respectively, can include any combination of different typesof DRA elements (i.e., cylindrical, rectangular, circularcross-sections, or hemispherical).

The linear array based millimeter-wave DRA MIMO antenna system(including linear DRA arrays 521 and 522) can have similar or differentDRA elements in each configuration. The linear DRA arrays 521 and 522can be closely packed with different phases (517 or 518) within theirfeeding networks. Each linear DRA 521 and 522 array has its dedicatedinput/output port 516 and 515, respectively (since this is a MIMOantenna configuration, each linear or planar DRA array acts as if it wasa single element), a specific feed network with progressive phases 517(or 518), that will tilt the beam towards different angles to minimizethe correlation coefficient and the correlation between DRA elements 519(or 520) themselves. Distances between linear DRA arrays or planar DRAarrays can be fixed to half of a wavelength. However, since the setup ofdifferent arrays is different, the distance between linear DRA arrays orplanar DRA arrays can be altered to different values.

Further FIG. 5 illustrates the planar DRA arrays 512 and 513 and thelinear DRA arrays 521 and 522 formed on a metallic ground plane 501.Although the planar DRA arrays 512 and 513 are depicted to be furtherapart than the linear DRA arrays 521 and 522, one of ordinary skillwould recognize that any configuration of the planar DRA arrays 512 and513 and the linear DRA arrays 521 and 522 can be formed.

The phases corresponding to the DRA elements of the planar DRA arrays512 and 513 and the linear DRA arrays 521 and 522 can be fixed orvariable. Altering the phases corresponding to the DRA elements can movethe beam formed by each of the DRA arrays (i.e., each of the planar DRAarrays 512 and 513 and each of the linear DRA arrays 521 and 522) invarious directions in space. Additionally, although FIG. 5 illustrates asingle metallic ground plane 501, one of ordinary skill would recognizethat a separate metallic ground plane may be used for each of the DRAarrays 512, 513, 521, and 522.

FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary s-parameters from a DRA basedmillimeter-wave based linear array with one half wavelengthinter-element spacing (i.e., 5 mm) and operating at 30 GHz. Thereflection coefficient curves 613 for four antenna array elements areillustrated in decibel scale 611, and versus frequency 612. Theresonating curves show matching at 30 GHz 614. An increase in couplingdue to close element spacing can affect matching.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate exemplary radiation gain patterns of the lineararray of DRA elements with a total of 4 antennas. The 4 antennas can berectangular, hemispherical, cylindrical, or any other known shape. Thethree dimensional gain patterns are illustrated in polar coordinates711. In the first gain pattern 712 illustrated in FIG. 7A, the antennaelements of the linear array have in-phase excitation, or zero anglebetween inter-elements.

FIG. 7B illustrates another exemplary gain pattern 713 when the lineararray of DRA elements point towards 45 degrees in elevation. In such acase a certain progressive phase is applied between the elements in aprogressive fashion relative to a previous element in the array. Asdescribed above with regard to FIG. 2, a phase control device (notshown) can be used to alter the progressive phases between the DRAelements. Such a phase control device may include circuitry to alterprogressive phases between the DRA elements and memory to store valuesof different progressive phases to be applied to the various DRAelements. Additionally, the memory may also store values correspondingto a fixed beam previously generated by the array of DRA elements andthe phase control device can use such data to determine the progressivephases between the DRA elements for future generation of fixed beams.The progressive phases can also be pre-programmed to obtain a fixed beamin a particular direction to allow for MIMO operation and separation ofthe radiation patterns as illustrated in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 7C, an exemplary three-dimensional gain pattern 714 is formed inthe opposite direction compared to that of the three-dimensional gainpattern 713. Here, the gain pattern is tilted by hard coding theprogressive phase excitations between adjacent DRA elements within thefeed network of the array. Thus, allowing for having two adjacentlinear/planar arrays with beams spatially separated allows for good MIMOperformance.

FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary control circuitry 800 to control adirection and shape of a beam formed by a plurality of DRA elements ofthe plurality of arrays. Such control circuitry 800 or a part of it maybe configured to be part of a feed type of microstrip network 22(illustrated in FIG. 2) or may be separate circuitry connected to thefeed type of microstrip network 22 in FIG. 2. The phase and amplitudecontrol circuitry 801 of the control circuitry 800 is configured todetect the current excitation phases of the plurality of DRA elementsand alter the excitation phases of the plurality of DRA elements inorder to move a beam formed by the plurality of DRA elements indifferent directions. In addition, the phase and amplitude controlcircuitry 801 is also configured to detect the amplitude of the signalsfed to the plurality of DRA elements and to alter the amplitude of thesesignals to move a beam formed by the plurality of DRA elements indifferent directions. The detected excitation phases and the detectedamplitudes can be provided to beam control circuitry 802 and memory 803.The shape of the beam can also be altered by altering the phase andamplitude.

FIG. 8 further illustrates beam detector circuitry 804 that isconfigured to detect direction, shape, and strength of the beamsproduced by the plurality of DRA elements of a plurality of arrays. Thebeam detector circuitry 804 is configured to provide such information tothe beam control circuitry 802 and memory 803. Since a plurality ofarrays may be formed and a plurality of beams may be generated by theplurality of arrays of DRA elements, the beam detector circuitry 804 isconfigured to detect shapes, directions, and strength of the beamsproduced by the plurality of arrays of DRA elements and report thefindings to the beam control circuitry 802 and/or memory 803.

The beam control circuitry 802 is configured to provide signals to thephase and amplitude control circuitry 801 so that the phase andamplitude control circuitry 801 can alter the excitation phases (or theamplitude) of the plurality of DRA elements accordingly. The beamcontrol circuitry 802 is capable of providing signals to the phase andamplitude control circuitry 801 to allow the plurality of DRA elementsto produce a wide variety of beam shapes in various differentdirections. In addition to being connected to the phase and amplitudecontrol circuitry 801, the beam control circuitry 802 is also connectedto the memory 803 and beam detector circuitry 804.

Memory 803 may include data regarding beam shapes and directions andcorresponding phases and amplitudes required to generate a correspondingbeam shape and direction. For example, memory may store previouslydetected beams shapes and directions of the beams (such informationbeing provided from beam detector circuitry 804) and correspondingdetected phases and amplitudes (such information being provided from thephase and amplitude control circuitry 801). When such information isreceived by memory 803 from the beam detector circuitry 804 and thephase and amplitude control circuitry 801, memory 803 may save suchinformation in a table format.

When beam control circuitry 802 receives information from the beamdetector circuitry 804 and the phase and amplitude control circuitry801, the beam control circuitry 802 may perform various actions. If thebeam control circuitry 802 notices an overlap between the beams detectedby the beam detector circuitry 804, the beam control circuitry 802 mayrequest memory 803 to send information regarding excitation phasescorresponding to the plurality of DRA elements of the plurality ofarrays and may instruct the phase and amplitude control circuitry 801 toalter the excitations phases of some (or all) of the plurality of DRAelements of the plurality of arrays so that the beams generated by theplurality of arrays do not overlap and are pointing in differentdirections. However, even if the information received from the beamdetector circuitry 804 does not indicate an overlap between variousbeams, the beam control circuitry 802 may still request the memory 803for information regarding excitations phases corresponding to theplurality of DRA elements, and provide information regarding theexcitation phases corresponding to the plurality of DRA elements of theplurality of arrays to the phase and amplitude control circuitry 801 soas to tilt one or a plurality of beams such that the overall strength ofall the beams produced by the plurality of arrays of DRA elements is thestrongest.

The memory 803 may also store a plurality of program instructions thatinclude instructions for the beam control circuitry 802 to instruct thephase and amplitude circuitry 801 to alter the excitations phases of theplurality of DRA elements of the plurality of arrays so as to tilt thebeams (generated by the plurality of DRA elements of the plurality ofarrays) in various different directions in real space. The shapes of thebeams may also be altered in addition to altering the direction of thebeams. The plurality of program instructions stored in memory 803 or inany other computer-readable storage medium may include instructions forthe steps described below with regard to FIG. 9. The phase and amplitudecontrol circuitry 801, the beam control circuitry 802, the beam detectorcircuitry 804, and the memory 803 may be connected via wires orwirelessly.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method to alter the phase of a pluralityof DRA elements of a plurality of arrays. In Step 901, the phase andamplitude control circuitry 801 detects the current excitation phasesand amplitudes corresponding to the plurality of DRA elements of theplurality of arrays and reports the detected findings to the beamcontrol circuitry 802. In Step 902, the beam detector circuitry 804detects directions and shapes of the beams and reports the findings tothe beam control circuitry 802. Although Step 901 is illustrated beforeStep 902, one of ordinary skill would recognize that Step 902 may beperformed prior to Step 901.

In Step 903, the beam control circuitry 802 determines, based on thereceived excitation phases and amplitudes corresponding to the pluralityof DRA elements of the plurality of arrays and the received directionsand shapes of the beams, whether to tilt a beam or a plurality of beams(or to change the shape of the beam or the plurality of beams). Further,in Step 903, the beam control circuitry 802 may also receiveinstructions from the program instructions stored in memory 803. Theprogram instructions may instruct the beam control circuitry 802 to tilta beam or a plurality of beams based on the received excitation phasesand amplitudes corresponding to the plurality of DRA elements of theplurality of arrays and the received directions and shapes of the beams.The program instructions may also instruct the beam control circuitry802 to tilt a beam or a plurality of beams based on at least one of alocation information of the plurality of DRA elements of the pluralityof arrays, a detected location of an object that communicates with theplurality of DRA elements of the plurality of arrays, or the detectedstrength of the plurality of beams.

If a determination is made not to tilt the beam or the plurality ofbeams, then the process ends or goes back to Step 901. If, however, adetermination is made to tilt a beam of a plurality of beams (or tochange the shape of the beam/beams), the beam control circuitry 802requests information from the memory 803 regarding excitation phasesand/or amplitudes to tilt one or a plurality of beams and instructs thephase and amplitude control circuitry 801 to alter the excitation phase(or amplitude) corresponding to the plurality of DRA elements of theplurality of arrays in Step 904.

In Step 905, the phase and amplitude control circuitry 801 is configuredto alter the excitation phases (or amplitudes) of one or a plurality ofDRA elements of a plurality of arrays such that a beam or a plurality ofbeams are tilted in a different direction (or such that a shape of abeam or a plurality of beams are changed). Although the abovedescription describes a plurality of arrays and a plurality of beams, itshould be understood that the present invention can be modified so thatonly one beam is formed by a plurality of DRA elements of a singlearray. The program instructions stored in memory 903 may includeinstructions corresponding to all the steps described above.

Next, a hardware description of a device according to exemplaryimplementations is described with reference to FIG. 10. The structure ofthe device illustrated in FIG. 10 is exemplary of phones, laptops,tablets, or another device including a computer as mentioned herein.Although the specific description provided below regarding FIG. 10specifically pertains to phones, laptops, or tablets, it should beappreciated that corresponding structures or components can be providedin other devices discussed herein, and not all of the components orconnections illustrated in FIG. 10 may be provided in particulardevices.

In FIG. 10, the device includes a CPU 1000 which performs, or executes,the processes and algorithms described herein. Process data andinstructions may be stored in memory 1002. Processes and instructionsmay also be stored on a storage medium disk 1004 such as a hard drive(HDD) or portable storage medium or may be stored remotely. Further,executable instructions are not limited by the form of thecomputer-readable media on which the instructions of the inventiveprocess are stored. For example, the instructions may be stored on CDs,DVDs, in FLASH memory, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, hard disk or anyother information processing device with which the device communicates,such as a server or computer.

Further, executable instructions may be provided as a utilityapplication, background daemon, or component of an operating system, orcombination thereof, executing in conjunction with CPU 1000 and anoperating system such as Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone,Microsoft Windows 7 or 8, UNIX, Solaris, LINUX, Apple MAC-OS and otheroperating systems.

CPU 1000 may be a Xenon or Core processor from Intel of America or anOpteron processor from AMD of America, especially in implementationswhere the device is a computer or a server. Other processors can beutilized when the device is, e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, atablet, a battery-operated device, or a portable computing device. Forexample, a Qualcomm Snapdragon or ARM-based processor can be utilized.The CPU 1000 may be implemented on an FPGA, ASIC, PLD or using discretelogic circuits, as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize.Further, CPU 1000 may be implemented as multiple processorscooperatively working in parallel to perform the instructions of theprocesses described above, and the CPU 1000 may incorporate processingcircuitry other than generic processing circuitry, whereby the CPU 1000includes circuitry to execute specific display and user interfacecontrols that may otherwise be provided for by other discrete circuitry.

The device in FIG. 10 also includes a network controller 1006, such asan Intel Ethernet PRO network interface card from Intel Corporation ofAmerica, for interfacing with network 77 when the device is a computeror a server, for example. This network connection can be via the antennaarray proposed above for various wireless standards. Millimeter-wave DRAarrays will be widely used for 5G wireless standards as part of thisnetwork interface. When the device is a portable electronic device, thenetwork controller 1006 includes a radio that may be incorporated intothe CPU 1000. The radio may incorporate various wireless communicationtechnologies as separate circuits or shared circuitry, and thetechnologies can incorporate LTE, GSM, CDMA, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC,infrared, FM radio, AM radio, ultrasonic, and/or RFID circuitry. Thenetwork 77 can be a public network, such as the Internet, or a privatenetwork such as a LAN or WAN network, or any combination thereof and canalso include PSTN or ISDN sub-networks. The network 77 can also bewired, such as an Ethernet network, or can be wireless such as acellular network including EDGE, 3G and 4G wireless cellular systems.The network 77 may be connected to a server to allow the device todownload and install application software to implement aspects of thisdisclosure. The wireless network can also be WiFi, Bluetooth, or anyother wireless form of communication. In the exemplary implementationsdiscussed herein, the network 77 can include both the Internet and aBluetooth communication channel, but this is not limiting as othercombinations are applicable when a different short-range communicationtechnology is utilized.

The device further includes, when the device is a computer or a server,a display controller 1008, such as a NVIDIA GeForce GTX or Quadrographics adaptor from NVIDIA Corporation of America for interfacing withdisplay 1010, such as a Hewlett Packard HPL2445w LCD monitor. A generalpurpose I/O interface 1012 interfaces with a keyboard and/or mouse 1014as well as a touch screen panel 1016 on or separate from display 1010.General purpose I/O interface also connects to a variety of peripherals1018 including printers and scanners. When the device is, e.g., asmartphone, the display 1010 can be integrated into the device and canbe a touchscreen display. Further, the display controller 1008 can beincorporated into the CPU 1000.

A sound controller 1020 is also provided in the device, such as SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium from Creative, to interface withspeakers/microphone 1022 thereby providing sounds and/or music. Thesound controller 1020 can also be incorporated into the CPU 1000 whenthe device is, e.g., a smartphone.

The general purpose storage controller 1024 connects the storage mediumdisk 1004 with communication bus 1026, which may be an ISA, EISA, VESA,PCI, or similar, for interconnecting all or some of the components ofthe device. A description of the general features and functionality ofthe display 1010, keyboard and/or mouse 1014, as well as the displaycontroller 1008, storage controller 1024, network controller 1006, soundcontroller 1020, and general purpose I/O interface 1012 is omittedherein for brevity.

Although the description and discussion were in reference to certainexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, numerous additions,modifications and variations will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art. The scope of the invention is given by the following claims,rather than the preceding description, and all additions, modifications,variations and equivalents that fall within the range of the statedclaims are intended to be embraced therein.

Thus, the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryimplementations. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, thepresent invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to beillustrative, but not limiting of the scope of the invention, as well asother claims. The disclosure, including any readily discernible variantsof the teachings herein, define, in part, the scope of the foregoingclaim terminology such that no inventive subject matter is dedicated tothe public.

Exemplary Implementations

A. A dielectric resonator antenna array system, comprising:

a first array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arrangedin a first orientation and configured to form a first beam; and

a second array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arrangedin a second orientation, different from the first orientation, andconfigured to form a second beam.

B. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to A, furthercomprising:

a first feed network configured to provide a first signal to the firstarray of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas; and

a second feed network configured to provide a second signal to thesecond array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas.

C. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato B, wherein the first feed network includes a first port and thesecond feed network includes a second port.

D. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato C, wherein the first array of the plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas and the second array of the plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas include at least one of a hemispherical antenna, a cylindricalantenna, a circular cross-section antenna, or a rectangular antenna.

E. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according any of A toD, wherein

the first feed network and the second feed network include a firstplurality of branches and a second plurality of branches, respectively,connected to respective plurality of dielectric resonator antennas, and

the first plurality of branches and the second plurality of branchesprovide phase distribution between the respective plurality ofdielectric resonator antennas.

F. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato E, wherein a direction of at least one of the first beam or thesecond beam in space is changed based on a change in the phasedistribution between the respective plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas.

G. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato F, wherein the first plurality of branches and the second pluralityof branches provide amplitude distribution between the respectiveplurality of dielectric resonator antennas.

H. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato G, wherein a direction of at least one of the first beam or thesecond beam in space is changed based on a change in the amplitudedistribution between the respective plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas.

I. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato H, wherein the first orientation corresponds to a planar orientationand the second orientation corresponds to a linear orientation.

J. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato I, wherein the first feed network includes a first plurality ofbranches that splits the first signal prior to being provided to thefirst array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas.

K. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato J, wherein the second feed network includes a second plurality ofbranches that splits the second signal prior to being provided to thesecond array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas.

L. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato K, wherein

the first array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennascorresponds to a first type of dielectric resonator antennas, and

the second array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennascorresponds to a second type of dielectric resonator antennas.

M. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato L, wherein the first array of the plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas and the second array of the plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas correspond to a same type of dielectric resonator antennas.

N. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato M, further comprising circuitry configured to:

detect current excitation phases corresponding to the first array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas and the second array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas; and

detect a first direction and a first shape of the first beam, and detecta second direction and a second shape of the second beam.

O. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato N, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

determine whether to change at least one of the first direction or thefirst shape of the first beam;

determine whether to change at least one of the second direction or thesecond shape of the second beam;

retrieve data of new excitation phases corresponding to the first arrayof the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas when a determinationis made to change at least one of the first direction or the first shapeof the first beam; and

retrieve data of other new excitation phases corresponding to the secondarray of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas when adetermination is made to change at least one of the second direction orthe second shape of the second beam.

P. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato O, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

alter the current excitation phases corresponding to the first array ofthe plurality of dielectric resonator antennas and the second array ofthe plurality of dielectric resonator antennas with at least one of thenew excitation phases or the other new excitation phases.

Q. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato P, wherein said circuitry is configured to determine whether tochange at least one of the first direction or the first shape of thefirst beam, and to determine whether to change at least one of thesecond direction or the second shape of the second beam based on thedetected current excitation phases corresponding to the first array ofthe plurality of dielectric resonator antennas and the second array ofthe plurality of dielectric resonator antennas.

R. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according to any of Ato Q, wherein said circuitry is configured to determine whether tochange at least one of the first direction or the first shape of thefirst beam, and to determine whether to change at least one of thesecond direction or the second shape of the second beam based on alocation of an object communicating with the dielectric resonatorantenna system.

S. A dielectric resonator antenna array system, comprising:

a first array of a first type of plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas arranged in a predetermined orientation and configured to forma first beam; and

a second array of a second type of plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas arranged in the predetermined orientation and configured toform a second beam.

T. A dielectric resonator antenna array system, comprising:

a first array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arrangedin a first orientation and configured to form a first beam;

a second array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennas arrangedin a second orientation, different from the first orientation, andconfigured to form a second beam;

a first feed network configured to provide a first signal to the firstarray of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas to form thefirst beam; and

a second feed network configured to provide a second signal to thesecond array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas to formthe second beam.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A dielectric resonator antenna arraysystem, comprising: a first array of a plurality of dielectric resonatorantennas arranged in a first orientation and configured to form a firstbeam; a second array of a plurality of dielectric resonator antennasarranged in a second orientation, different from the first orientation,and configured to form a second beam; and circuitry configured toreceive detected beam shapes and corresponding excitation phases andamplitudes, store an association between the detected beam shapes andthe corresponding excitation phases and amplitudes in a look-up table,and retrieve from the look-up table information associated with theexcitation phases in response to determining that one or more beamsoverlaps.
 2. The dielectric resonator antenna array system according toclaim 1, further comprising: a first feed network configured to providea first signal to the first array of the plurality of dielectricresonator antennas; and a second feed network configured to provide asecond signal to the second array of the plurality of dielectricresonator antennas.
 3. The dielectric resonator antenna array systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the first feed network includes a firstport and the second feed network includes a second port.
 4. Thedielectric resonator antenna array system according to claim 1, whereinthe first array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas andthe second array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennasinclude at least one of a hemispherical antenna, a cylindrical antenna,a circular cross-section antenna, or a rectangular antenna.
 5. Thedielectric resonator antenna array system according to claim 2, whereinthe first feed network and the second teed network include a firstplurality of branches and a second plurality of branches, respectively,connected to respective plurality of dielectric resonator antennas, andthe first plurality of branches and the second plurality of branchesprovide phase distribution between the respective plurality ofdielectric resonator antennas.
 6. The dielectric resonator antenna arraysystem according to claim 5, wherein a direction of at least one of thefirst beam or the second beam in space is changed based on a change inthe phase distribution between the respective plurality of dielectricresonator antennas.
 7. The dielectric resonator antenna array systemaccording to claim 5, wherein the first plurality of branches and thesecond plurality of branches provide amplitude distribution between therespective plurality of dielectric resonator antennas.
 8. The dielectricresonator antenna array system according to claim 7, wherein a directionof at least one of the first beam or the second beam in space is changedbased on a change in the amplitude distribution between the respectiveplurality of dielectric resonator antennas.
 9. The dielectric resonatorantenna array system according to claim 1, wherein the first orientationcorresponds to a planar orientation and the second orientationcorresponds to a linear orientation.
 10. The dielectric resonatorantenna array system according to claim 2, wherein the first feednetwork includes a first plurality of branches that splits the firstsignal prior to being provided to the first array of the plurality ofdielectric resonator antennas.
 11. The dielectric resonator antennaarray system according to claim 2, wherein the second feed networkincludes a second plurality of branches that splits the second signalprior to being provided to the second array of the plurality ofdielectric resonator antennas.
 12. The dielectric resonator antennaarray system according to claim 1, wherein the first array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas corresponds to a first typeof dielectric resonator antennas, and the second array of the pluralityof dielectric resonator antennas corresponds to a. second type ofdielectric resonator antennas.
 13. The dielectric resonator antennaarray system according to claim 1, wherein the first array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas and the second array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas correspond to a same type ofdielectric resonator antennas.
 14. The dielectric resonator antennaarray system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configuredto: determine whether to change at least one of a first direction or afirst shape of the first beam; determine whether to change at least oneof a second direction or a second shape of the second beam; retrievedata of new excitation phases corresponding to the first array of theplurality of dielectric resonator antennas when a determination is madeto change at least one of the first direction or the first shape of thefirst beam; and retrieve data of other new excitation phasescorresponding to the second array of the plurality of dielectricresonator antennas when a determination is made to change at least oneof the second direction or the second shape of the second beam.
 15. Thedielectric resonator antenna array system according to claim 14, whereinthe circuitry is configured to: alter the current excitation phasescorresponding to the first array of the plurality of dielectricresonator antennas and the second array of the plurality of dielectricresonator antennas with at least one of the new excitation phases or theother new excitation phases.
 16. The dielectric resonator antenna arraysystem according to claim 14, wherein said circuitry is configured todetermine whether to change at least one of the first direction or thefirst shape of the first beam, and to determine whether to change atleast one of the second direction or the second shape of the second beambased on the detected current excitation phases corresponding to thefirst array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas and thesecond array of the plurality of dielectric resonator antennas.
 17. Thedielectric resonator antenna array system according to claim 14, whereinsaid circuitry is configured to determine whether to change at least oneof the first direction or the first shape of the first beam, and todetermine whether to change at least one of the second direction or thesecond shape of the second beam based on a location of an objectcommunicating with the dielectric resonator antenna system.